Black bear hibernating in drain tunnel

WOOD COUNTY -- Winter in Wisconsin means black bears are hibernating, but in the Town of Vesper in Wood County, a black bear decided to curl up and spend winter in a drain tunnel.

DNR officials say there's no threat to the bear, so they're just going to leave him alone. They say man-made areas, like drains, are popular because it's dry and warm.

"A lot of the hibernation dens are quite obvious to the visible eye. Generally, black bears are fairly submissive. Their first instinct will be to turn and run away from people. So, it would be very unusual, especially in the state of Wisconsin for a bear to attack anyone," Courtney Schaefer, a DNR wildlife biologist said.

The DNR suggests people steer clear of bears. They said the bear could be in the drain up to another four months.